Biggest Blowouts in Sports History

Sports fans love a nail-biter, but every so often the scoreboard just breaks. Throughout history, certain games have been so lopsided that they stopped being contests and became historical footnotes instead.

From a 73-0 shellacking in the NFL to a soccer match that somehow ended 149-0, these blowouts show just how wide the gap between “good” and “overmatched” can get.

This list rounds up the biggest blowouts across football, basketball, baseball, and soccer, plus a few of the most stunning upsets that flipped the script entirely. We’ll separate documented record-book facts from claims that don’t hold up to scrutiny, because plenty of “biggest ever” stories get exaggerated with every retelling.

TL;DR: The NFL’s 73-0 title game rout, a 149-0 soccer scoreline born from protest, and a handful of legendary underdog upsets remain the gold standard for how one-sided (or how shocking) a sporting event can get.

What Actually Makes a Blowout (And How It Differs From an Upset)

A blowout is simple math: one team wins by an enormous margin, regardless of who was expected to win. An upset is a different animal entirely — it’s about expectation, not scoreline, so a heavily favored team can lose by a single point and still produce one of the biggest upsets in sports history.

Some games manage to be both, like a massive underdog winning by a landslide, but most famous upsets are actually tight games decided by one score or one basket. That’s why this list treats “biggest sports blowouts” and “biggest upsets” as related but separate categories, each with its own legendary examples.

Biggest Blowouts in NFL and Super Bowl History

1. Chicago Bears 73, Washington Redskins 0 (1940 NFL Championship)

This is the answer whenever someone asks about the biggest blowout in NFL history, full stop. On December 8, 1940, the Chicago Bears demolished the Washington Redskins 73-0 in the NFL Championship Game, and the record has never come close to being broken since.

The rout was so severe that officials reportedly ran out of footballs after repeated missed extra points sailed into the crowd. It remains the benchmark for what a genuine football blowout looks like, nearly 85 years later.

2. Super Bowl XXIV: San Francisco 49ers 55, Denver Broncos 10 (1990)

When people ask what was the biggest Super Bowl blowout, this is it. The 49ers thrashed the Broncos 55-10 on January 28, 1990, a 45-point margin that still stands as the largest in Super Bowl history.

Joe Montana threw five touchdown passes and didn’t even need to play the fourth quarter. It’s the clearest answer among all the biggest blowouts in Super Bowl history.

3. Super Bowl XX: Chicago Bears 46, New England Patriots 10 (1986)

The legendary 1985 Bears defense, aided by Richard Dent and a rookie named William “The Refrigerator” Perry, buried the Patriots 46-10. New England’s offense managed just 123 total yards in one of the most dominant defensive performances in championship history.

The 36-point margin still ranks among the widest in Super Bowl history behind only Super Bowl XXIV. It remains a favorite reference point in any discussion of the biggest Super Bowl blowouts.

4. Super Bowl XXXVII: Tampa Bay Buccaneers 48, Oakland Raiders 21 (2003)

The Bucs’ defense intercepted former Tampa coach Jon Gruden’s Raiders five times, turning three into touchdowns during a 48-21 rout. The 27-point margin made it one of the more one-sided championship games of the 2000s.

The game is remembered as much for the storyline — Gruden facing his old team, the kind of grudge match that fits right alongside the craziest sports rivalries of all time — as for the final score. Still, it earns its spot among the biggest blowouts in Super Bowl history.

5. Miami Dolphins 70, Denver Broncos 20 (2023)

Proof that blowout football didn’t stop existing after the 1990s, the Dolphins hung 70 points on the Broncos on September 24, 2023. It was the most points scored by an NFL team in a single game since 1966, and a 50-point margin of victory.

Miami’s offense, led by Tua Tagovailoa and Tyreek Hill, scored on nearly every possession. It’s a reminder that a modern-day blowout football game can happen even in an era built around parity.

Biggest Blowouts in College Football History

6. Georgia Tech 222, Cumberland 0 (1916)

Ask anyone about the biggest CFB blowout ever, and this is the answer: Georgia Tech beat Cumberland College 222-0 on October 7, 1916. Cumberland had actually disbanded its football program that year but was contractually obligated to play the game or pay a hefty fine, so a scratch team of non-athletes showed up.

Georgia Tech scored 63 points in the first quarter alone. It remains the highest-scoring, most lopsided game in the history of major college football.

7. Houston Cougars 100, Tulsa Golden Hurricane 6 (1968)

Running coach Bill Yeoman’s fast-paced “veer” offense, Houston piled up 100 points against Tulsa on November 23, 1968. It’s widely cited as one of the highest point totals ever recorded by a major-college program in a single game.

The Cougars’ offense simply never let up, running play after play at a pace opponents couldn’t match. It stands alongside Georgia Tech’s 1916 rout as one of the sport’s most extreme scorelines.

Biggest Blowouts in NBA and Basketball History

8. Cleveland Cavaliers 148, Miami Heat 80 (1991)

When it comes to the biggest loss in NBA history, this December 17, 1991 game is the most frequently cited example. The Cavaliers beat the Heat 148-80, a 68-point margin that has been referenced as the NBA record for largest margin of victory for decades.

Miami was in just its fourth season as an expansion franchise and simply had no answer. It remains the standard reference point anytime someone brings up the biggest blowout in basketball history.

9. USA Men’s Basketball 156, Nigeria 73 (2012 Olympic Exhibition)

Ahead of the 2012 London Olympics, Team USA beat Nigeria 156-73 in a tune-up exhibition game, an 83-point margin. It’s often cited as the largest points differential ever posted by a US national team in international competition.

Worth noting: this was an exhibition, not an official Olympic medal game, so it sits in a slightly different category than league-play records. Still, it’s a staggering number that regularly comes up in conversations about the biggest blowout in basketball history worldwide.

Biggest Blowouts in Baseball History

10. Texas Rangers 30, Baltimore Orioles 3 (2007)

Looking for the biggest baseball blowout of the modern era? On August 22, 2007, the Texas Rangers scored 30 runs against the Baltimore Orioles, the most runs scored by a single team in a game since 1900.

Texas scored 5 runs in the first inning and never slowed down, tallying 29 hits along the way. It’s the clearest modern answer to any question about the biggest blowout in baseball.

11. Boston Red Sox 29, St. Louis Browns 4 (1950)

Before the Rangers broke the record, the Red Sox held it for 57 years after scoring 29 runs against the St. Louis Browns on June 8, 1950. Boston set an American League record that stood for over half a century.

The Red Sox racked up 28 hits that day at Fenway Park. It’s a reminder that lopsided baseball scorelines aren’t just a modern phenomenon.

Biggest Blowouts in Soccer and Football History

12. Arbroath 36, Bon Accord 0 (1885 Scottish Cup)

For over a century, this has been cited as the biggest blowout in soccer history at the senior competitive level. On September 12, 1885, Arbroath beat Bon Accord 36-0 in the Scottish Cup, reportedly because Bon Accord was a cricket club that had been mistakenly invited to enter the football tournament.

The same day, Dundee Harp beat Aberdeen Rovers 35-0 in a separate tie, making it a strange afternoon for Scottish football records. Arbroath’s result remains the most cited example of a historic defeat in soccer.

13. Australia 31, American Samoa 0 (2001 World Cup Qualifier)

This is the widely recognized record for an official international match. On April 11, 2001, Australia beat American Samoa 31-0 in Oceania World Cup qualifying, with striker Archie Thompson scoring 13 goals by himself.

American Samoa’s roster was decimated by passport issues before the game, forcing the team to field several teenage replacements. It stands as the biggest defeat in soccer history among FIFA-sanctioned competitive fixtures.

14. AS Adema 149, SO l’Emyrne 0 (2002 Madagascar League)

This one needs a serious asterisk. In October 2002, SO l’Emyrne deliberately scored own goal after own goal in a domestic Madagascar league match, in protest of a referee’s decisions in a previous game, resulting in a 149-0 final score for AS Adema.

It technically holds the record for the highest score ever recorded in an association football match, but it wasn’t a real contest in any competitive sense. Most historians and soccer record-keepers treat it as a protest, not a legitimate blowout, when discussing the biggest blowout in soccer history.

The Biggest Upsets in Sports History (Not Always Blowouts)

15. Miracle on Ice: USA 4, Soviet Union 3 (1980 Winter Olympics)

A team of American college kids beat the dominant Soviet hockey machine 4-3 in the medal-round at Lake Placid on February 22, 1980. The Soviets had won five of the previous six Olympic gold medals and were considered nearly unbeatable.

It’s frequently ranked as the single biggest upset in sports history by American sportswriters and fans alike. The US team went on to beat Finland two days later to clinch Olympic gold.

16. New York Jets 16, Baltimore Colts 7 (Super Bowl III, 1969)

The Colts were favored by as many as 18 points heading into Super Bowl III. Jets quarterback Joe Namath famously “guaranteed” a win days before kickoff, and New York delivered a 16-7 victory that legitimized the upstart AFL.

It remains one of the most consequential upsets in American sports, reshaping how the merged NFL would be viewed afterward. It’s proof that a huge upset doesn’t require a blowout scoreline to matter.

17. Villanova 66, Georgetown 64 (1985 NCAA Championship)

Eighth-seeded Villanova shot an astonishing 79% from the field to beat top-ranked, defending champion Georgetown in the 1985 NCAA title game. It’s still considered one of the greatest upsets in college basketball history and helped inspire the tournament’s modern “March Madness” mythology.

Georgetown, led by star center Patrick Ewing, was a heavy favorite entering the game. Villanova’s near-perfect shooting performance remains one of the most statistically improbable feats in championship history.

18. Appalachian State 34, Michigan 32 (2007)

A team from the second tier of college football (then called Division I-AA) walked into the Big House and beat fifth-ranked Michigan 34-32. The game is still widely regarded as the biggest upset in the history of college football.

Appalachian State blocked a potential game-winning field goal in the final seconds to seal it. Sports Illustrated called it one of the greatest upsets in college sports history at any level.

19. United States 1, England 0 (1950 FIFA World Cup)

An amateur, largely unheralded US squad beat England, one of the pre-tournament favorites, 1-0 in Belo Horizonte, Brazil. The lone goal came from Joe Gaetjens, a part-time dishwasher who volunteered for the national team.

The result was so shocking that some British newspapers reportedly assumed it was a wire-service typo for a 10-1 English win. It remains one of the most cited entries in any list of the biggest upsets in sports history.

20. Chaminade 77, Virginia 72 (1982 College Basketball)

Chaminade was a tiny NAIA school in Honolulu with roughly 900 students. Top-ranked Virginia, led by 7’4″ star Ralph Sampson, lost to them 77-72 in a regular-season exhibition-style game in December 1982.

Sports Illustrated later called it the biggest upset in the history of college basketball. It’s still used as the go-to comparison whenever a massive underdog pulls off the impossible.

21. Leicester City Wins the Premier League (2015-16 Season)

Leicester City had narrowly avoided relegation the season before, and bookmakers priced their title odds at roughly 5,000-to-1 before the 2015-16 season began. They won the Premier League title outright, finishing 10 points clear of the field.

It’s frequently cited by British bookmakers and sportswriters as one of the biggest upsets in sports history worldwide, not just in soccer. Unlike most entries on this list, it played out over an entire season rather than a single game.

22. Buster Douglas Defeats Mike Tyson (1990 Boxing)

Mike Tyson entered his February 11, 1990 fight in Tokyo undefeated and considered essentially unbeatable, with some bookmakers listing Buster Douglas as a heavy underdog and others declining to even take bets. Douglas knocked Tyson out in the tenth round, ending Tyson’s reign as heavyweight champion.

It’s still regarded as one of the most stunning individual-sport upsets ever recorded. The result reshaped heavyweight boxing for the rest of the decade.

Final Score: Why These Games Still Matter

Blowouts and upsets endure in sports memory for opposite reasons. A blowout tells us what happens when talent, preparation, or circumstance gets wildly mismatched, while an upset reminds us that on any given day, the scoreboard doesn’t care about the odds.

Both types of games get exaggerated with time, so it’s worth separating verified record-book facts (like the Bears’ 73-0 title game or Georgia Tech’s 222-0 rout) from claims that sound bigger with every retelling. The real numbers are dramatic enough on their own.

Whether it’s a 149-0 soccer scoreline born from protest or a group of college kids beating the Soviet hockey machine, these games have earned their permanent place in sports history. They’re proof that even in games built on structure and statistics, the outcome can still defy every expectation.

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